First Report - The future of UK music festivals

Select Committee
Culture, Media and Sport Committee HC 49 29 May 2021
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 14 items (9 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 14 of 14 classified)
Accepted 1
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 1
Not Addressed 5
Rejected 4
Government response
The future of UK music festivals: Command Paper · published 17 Aug 2021
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Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results
8 Recommendation Rejected
Para 61
The UK has long occupied an important place in Europe’s live music ecosystem, and has...
Recommendation
The UK has long occupied an important place in Europe’s live music ecosystem, and has traditionally been a starting point for tours creating work for UK-based freelancers and suppliers. The substantial UK-based infrastructure, including haulage, for tours and festivals is … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Government details actions taken to support touring artists, including establishing a working group and providing new guidance. However, it implicitly rejects monthly reporting to the Committee, stating its own communication channels are considered most appropriate for updates.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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12 Conclusion Rejected
Para 86
We are highly concerned that a compressed festival season, the likely circulation of high-strength, adulterated...
Conclusion
We are highly concerned that a compressed festival season, the likely circulation of high-strength, adulterated drugs and increased risk-taking after lockdown will lead to a spike in drug-related deaths at festivals this summer. We heard compelling 34 The future of … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Government acknowledges concerns about festival drug testing but states it is unable to support front-of-house testing until further assessments of unintended consequences are carried out, thus rejecting the implied recommendation for this type of drug checking. It will, however, continue to support back-of-house testing.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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13 Recommendation Rejected
Para 87
We recommend that, before festivals take place this summer, the Home Secretary should make regulations...
Recommendation
We recommend that, before festivals take place this summer, the Home Secretary should make regulations under section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 that allow organisations conducting drug checking to operate lawfully. Thereafter, the Government should introduce a … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Government states it is unable to support front-of-house drug testing at festivals until further assessments of potential unintended consequences are carried out, thereby rejecting the immediate recommendation for regulations and a licensing scheme. However, it will continue to support back-of-house testing.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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14 Recommendation Rejected
With tickets on sale for festivals that might not take place, we are concerned that...
Recommendation
With tickets on sale for festivals that might not take place, we are concerned that the difficulty of securing refunds from secondary ticketing platforms, and the industry’s understandable desire to maximise sales, could mean consumers lose out as the events … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to assess the COVID-19 pandemic's impact in a formal Post Implementation Review of the Ticket Sales Regulations 2018, stating such a review is not appropriate, though it committed to ongoing monitoring of the offence's effectiveness.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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